It is well known that the complexity of voice and data telecommunications has increased and with it standard for insuring operation flexibility and manageability of supporting systems. Telecommunications include voice, data, and video transmission of information, fire and security matters, audio, environmental, and other intelligent building controls over media that typically includes fiber optics, specialized copper data cabling, as well as microwave and radio wave transmissions. Office design practices have introduced flexible layouts designed to support workgroups and small teams. As a result, spaces for such teams are frequently rearranged to meet the changing requirements of the work for an individual and that of the team, resulting in an open office work environment that often requires reconfiguration. Standards including those of the American National Standards Institute ("ANSI"), the Electronic Industries Association ("EIA"), and the Telecommunications Industry Association ("TIA") play an important role and, in fact, place stringent requirements on the construction and layout of such open office environments. By way of example, an interconnection in horizontal cabling that allows for open office spaces to be reconfigured frequently without disturbing horizontal cable runs must meet standards such as EIA/TIA 569, TIA/EIA 607, and TSB 75. Such standards provide for interconnection capability including multiuser outlet/connector and transition points, by way of example. In general, TIA standards allow for various connections in the horizontal cabling between horizontal cross connects and telecommunication outlets and connectors.
Typically, a wiring management system may be provided for use in furniture components and will include routing channels for routing wire throughout the system as illustrated by way of example with U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,431 to Olson et al, and the free standing modular furniture of U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,658 to Schreiner et al. As described, the use of wire management and modular furniture components in an office environment provides for the routing of power and other cabling to various electrical appliances in the office space to permit efficient use of that space. However, the installation and maintenance requirements of wire management systems have posed practical difficulties that include the interconnection of various active and routing electrical components for meeting the demands of the office space, while at the same time effectively concealing the wiring and electrical components from view. As is often the case, various wire management systems associated with office furniture will focus on the wire management needs for connection and interconnection with communications outlets provided to the office workstation, which outlets have horizontal interconnections to a remotely located telecommunications closet. As a result, various communications organizing methods and devices typically concentrate on the connection to appropriate connectors and the storage of excess links of cable within compartments formed within furniture modules such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,881 to Wilson et al. Further, although it is well known to rack mount electronics equipment on framing structures, and organize wire runs within wire management systems, as described by way of example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,819 to Hebel; U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,012 to Lerman; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,087 to Orlando, such systems have not addressed the needs of the open office and would not meet the needs identified while keeping to the standards of the industry.
Although many innovations have been directed to the open office for providing floor space division using furniture, movable partitions, and other means other than building permanent walls, none have focused on the important requirement that the workstation, having the multiuser telecommunications equipment and assemblies, is required to be within fixed and often long distances to the telecommunications closet, which will typically house vital active switching equipment. Usually, the telecommunications closet is based on each floor of a building and is the junction between a backbone and the horizontal pathways for such cabling routed to the various workstations. The telecommunications closet will typically include both voice and data telecommunications equipment, termination fields and cross connect wiring. Planning and layout of the open office must therefore be concerned about distances to this telecommunications closet and, as a result, configure the workstation environment and location of each workstation carefully in arranging an effective floor plan.